


Mutual Affection

by Rosenest



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alexis Rose Being a Good Sister, Alexis Rose is a Badass, David Rose Deserves Nice Things, David Rose is a Good Person, M/M, Multi, Patrick Brewer Loves his Roses (even the honorary), Patrick Brewer is a Button, Pregnancy, Protective David Rose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27718193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosenest/pseuds/Rosenest
Summary: The fact of the matter is that Alexis Rose hasn’t spoken with her brother at least for three months, and how could she, when she had one job and it was to become a fucking #bossbabe and she fucking blew it, like she was just about to eat the world when the fucking world spat her right out.
Relationships: Alexis Rose & David Rose, Alexis Rose & Twyla Sands, Patrick Brewer & Alexis Rose, Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Stevie Budd & Alexis Rose
Comments: 15
Kudos: 47





	1. The difficult task of letting others know you’re fucked

**Author's Note:**

> Hi lovely people,; I love reading and writing but I had never had the nerve to publish something. I love writing about things I find interesting, and I love Alexis as a character and even more as a person. Disclaimer I own literally nothing other than my ideas 😊, also English isn’t my first language so if you find yourself wanting to beta me I’m down :D. I hope you enjoy it.  
> In this story we will approach some topics that are scary and difficult, I will try as much as possible to include a trigger warning when needed and if you find something upseting please let me know so I can include it here in each chapter.

**Chapter one:** The difficult task of letting others know you’re fucked

The fact of the matter is that Alexis Rose hasn’t spoken with her brother at least for three months, and how could she, when she had one job and it was to become a fucking #bossbabe and she fucking blew it, like she was just about to eat the world when the fucking world eat her and spat her right out.

“I can totally do this” she thought to herself while twisting and untwisting the string of the horrendous hoodie she had on for the whole trip to Schitt's Creek. Her finger hovered over the name _David_ _Rose_ and unblock _,_ she tapped it with all the courage she could muster and waited while the call connected.

“Hi David, I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to answer your numerous facetime calls, texts, etcetera, I just found myself in the worst situation I have ever found myself in and fucking shut the fuck down” she practiced in a hushed tone while waiting for brother to answer the phone.

“Who are you and what have you done to my sister? she never calls, and she is smart enough to understand that it’s the middle of the fucking night.“ David answered the phone with this lovely opener.

“Ew David, It’s me” she knows he will know there’s something wrong, he knows her better than she knows herself and she is fully aware she sounds like the world ended and she’s the sole survivor.

“What’s wrong?” he sounded more alert, he was probably gathering his wits and waking Button up. _Is she ok?_ Sweet naïve Patrick does not know he is in for a shitshow.

“I fucked up David” Alexis whispered

“where are you? Do you need a passport?”

“No”

“No, you don’t need a passport or no you don’t know where I am?” Alexis can hear through the phone the movements David is making around his house, and for a single moment she feels so terribly sorry about the fucking snowstorm she is about to create in his brother and his husband life’s.

“No, I don’t need a passport, I’m at the bus station in Elmdale and I need a ride”

“You haven called in a century, you don’t answer the phone and I’m pretty sure you blocked all of us, so do tell sweet Alexis, what it is you need from us now?” the bitterness in his voice was fueled not only by the hour of the call, but also by the sense of betrayal she’s sure her whole family is feeling.

It is truly not her fault that the horrible, awful thing happened.

Or is it?

“I’m sorry” Alexis whimpered “I’m so sorry my whole life fucking crumbled under my feet and I couldn’t bring myself to call every single one of you to notify you, and you know maybe I should have stayed under the radar but I can’t have that luxury anymore David”

“Luxury? Crumbled? What the fuck are you talking about Alexis?”

Alexis sniffed and waited

“Don’t move a foot, tiny asshole” David only called her that when he was livid but ready to bail her out “We’re coming to get you and its fucking freezing, please clothe yourself”

“thank you”

“And don’t think that just because you opened the waterworks were not discussing the act of disappearance you pulled the last for months, I want an explanation Alexis”

“I know”

“I need an explanation Alexis, I’m not kidding”

“You’ll get one David, Jesus”

“It better be a good one” he disconnected the call and Alexis hand flew to her mouth, simultaneously trying to bite her thumb nail off and try to calm the awful nausea she had been experiencing for at least three months.

Alexis knew she looked like she was dying, and in a way she was, her hair was limp and greasy, her clothes were hideous, life was shit right now and she wanted the world to know that for her it was game over.

Game. Fucking. Over.

She sat down on a bench in the bus station and pulled her headphones out, plugged them in and lost herself in the wonderful voice of Stevie Knicks until her ride came for her and she needed to face the music.

David P.O.V.

David’s phone ringed in the middle of night, six am actually, and he was ready to let it go straight to voicemail when he realized with that part of his brain that never really shuts down that it was Alexis ringtone.

Ringtone he has not heard for 86 days; he knew she was alive and thriving, whatever that means, because of her Instagram updates but other than that, radio silence, not one text or call got answered, no one hear from her. Mom was sure she was living life and finding herself, David was not that sure.

Countless nights got ruined because he was worried sick. He was sure that something was going on, she was in trouble and for once in his lifetime he was completely in the dark. Patrick had to put a stop on the borderline abusive worry.

“Patrick, my phone” a half-asleep David tried to get himself together for the call he has been waiting for two months now.

“Here, please remember if she is in trouble we need to know” a drowsy Patrick tried to work some sense into his lovely husband.

David answer the phone, and debates on whether to put it on speakerphone or not, at the end he choses speakerphone.

“Who are you and what have you done to my sister? she never calls, and she is smart enough to understand that it’s the middle of the fucking night. “ 

Patrick smacked him in the thigh before getting up and putting his pants on, throw him some sweatpants and a white t-shirt. David pulled a face and was about to make a gesture, but he hears his sister and felt a bucket of cold-water wash over him.

“Ew David, It’s me”

Something is going on; she sounds like she is drowning. He feels like he is in a tunnel.

“What’s wrong?”

To the surprise of his husband, David got up and started to dress and pull his shoes on blindly

“I fucked up David”

“where are you? Do you need a passport?”

“No”

“No, you don’t need a passport or no you don’t know where I am?”

He is moving through the cottage at a rapid pace, putting his coat on, his wallet, he might need money, it is not until Patrick holds his shoulders, he realizes he is shaking.

“No, I don’t need a passport, I’m at the bus station in Elmdale and I need a ride”

“You haven’t called in a century, you don’t answer the phone and I’m pretty sure you blocked all of us, so do tell sweet Alexis, what it is you need from us now?” he knows he sound like a bitch, he doesn’t care, his fucking sister went silent for three months and suddenly she is an hour away, sitting in the bus station waiting for them like they’re her chauffeurs.

He is about to go on a glorious monologue when she answers his question.

“I’m sorry” Alexis whimpered “I’m so sorry my whole life fucking crumbled under my feet and I couldn’t bring myself to call every single one of you to notify you, and you know maybe I should have stayed under the radar but I can’t have that luxury anymore David”

Patrick has a face full of worry and surprise, David can only imagine what his face looks like.

“Luxury? Crumbled? What the fuck are you talking about Alexis?”

Alexis sniffed

David is already in the car, the phone still on speakerphone, Patrick warming the car up and holding his hand tightly.

“Don’t move a foot, tiny asshole” David called her the nickname he knew she hated “We’re coming to get you and its fucking freezing, please clothe yourself” it did not matter he had brought a coat for her.

“thank you”

“And don’t think that just because you opened the waterworks were not discussing the act of disappearance you pulled the last for months, I want an explanation Alexis” He knows his sister like the palm of his hand, this waterworks are the real deal, he needs her to gather her thoughts well enough to articulate whatever problem she has gotten herself into.

“I know”

“I need an explanation Alexis, I’m not kidding”

“You’ll get one David, Jesus”

“It better be a good one” he disconnected the call and felt Patrick stroke his knuckles before he let go of his hand, and stared to drive steadily to the bus station.


	2. The horrors of caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Patrick talk, talk and talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, Thank you for all the support, when I figure out how to answer comments I will shower you with love.  
> \---------------------------------------  
> Trigger Warning:  
> Some light discussion of awful men and graphic description of bruises, please be mindful.

**Chapter 2**

David's left leg is bouncing like his life depends on it. He is waiting for it, the hard questions, the interrogation.

But his husband is the picture of a serene human, if he did not know better he would have sworn he was even relaxed, but his knuckles in the steering wheel told a different story, they were tense and white.

The silence grew between them until Patrick broke it.

"So, I'm just going to say it as nice as possible" Patrick said in a cool tone " I am freaking out David, what the fuck is going on? Is she ok? Is this normal? I feel like my heart wants out of my body and I must say this is not it"

"Yeah baby I know this is not it" David murmured and continued in a stronger note "I'm not saying this to scare you, but this was mi life before"

"Before what?"

"You know, before; before we lost the money"

"Ah"

" This was my life, but I must say I usually got the calls before shit got serious and something tells me shit hit the fan"

"She's not our daughter though, why do I feel this awful sensation that she kind of is? When She. Is. Not."

"Now you understand why I don't want children. I refuse to know this kind of worry and still choose to engage with it."

"How old were you when you stated bailing her out of problems?"

"Thirteen" David answers with a conviction so strong Patrick must ask.

"How do you remember?"

"She must've been ten or nine, we were at the house of one of the board members of rose video when she came running, a little creep tried to pull her dress and she nailed him in the nose with a bottle she found”

“Woah”

“Yes, I know, she broke his nose in three places and I had to blackmail that little shit into silence; I was not smart enough to realize that she didn’t do anything wrong but everyone was wasted and I was afraid Mom would lose her shit, as she usually did”

Patrick grasped for the first time since marring David the fact that he also married the family. The whole family with all the issues they came with.

David, on the other hand, was a man with a job, and he knew that maybe for the first time in her life Alexis found an immobile object in her path and he is not sure if she crashed with it or if that object had shatter her in millions of pieces.

The path to the bus station was uneventful, almost like nature knew the of tornado that was taking place inside of the car, the contained torment.

Alexis has encountered enough difficult situation that the fear David harbored in his body was that maybe the problem was a situation so beyond their comprehension that they probably would not have the tools necessary to help her.

And then there was the issue of Darius.

The boyfriend

The NYU philosophy professor, the asshole who continuously keep criticizing their family; David and Patrick were too conceited, John and Moira were the embodiment of capitalism and utilitarianism. In other words, he was an asshole and unbearable.

David was almost sure he had a hand in the whole fiasco, he could smell it all the way from New York, the putrid smell of a man who was way too self-fascinated. He feared, he knew men like him from his years living in the art scene in New York, men like him can smell your insecurities and turn them in winning points until they are no longer it, until they are the very same things that make their life unlivable.

The worst type of men, the type that hit you with words first and occasionally with fist, the type that build you up just to tear you down from a higher ground.

“I hope whatever it is, we can clean it up” Patrick said just as he was rounding the corner to get to the bus station.

He pulled up just a street behind and turned to look at David Straight to the eye. 

“Baby, we have to be prepared, for whatever this is” Patrick hold his hand a gave it a kiss “we will pull through, you are not alone anymore, this burden is not yours to bear all alone”

David’s eyes filled with tears and his chest was full of love and tenderness for his husband. His one and only.

“I love you”

“I love you too David”

Patrick started to drive again and was completely sure whatever life threw at them they would be okay.

That was until his eyes landed in Alexis.

Alexis in a sweatpants and a hoodie, her hair up in a bun and a big black eye, split lip and what appeared to be a bruise in her left cheekbone.

“What the fuck?” David mutter

“Get it out of your system baby, we have to take care of this clusterfuck, we need to be here for her” Patrick murmured while maneuvering the car to pull up as close to Alexis as possible.

David took several deep breaths and braced himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You´ve made it, thank you so much for taking time from your day to read my ramblings, I keep an open eye to your comments in case there’s something you find upsetting. I hope you have a god day/night/afternoon


	3. The reliability of finding an ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three of them find themselves in the hospital and Alexis makes an important announcement; Somehow, they make a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, how are you in this fine day :D, I would like to remind everyone that technology is not my close friend and I constantly struggle with it, so bear with me. I love writing what I want to read so usually my works consist of me writing something than will not leave me alone. I hope you enjoy the reading as much as I enjoy writing it. I would love to hear form you.  
> \---------------------------------------  
> Trigger Warning:  
> Discussion of miscarriages.  
> Loss of a close friend in the end notes.

**Chapter 3**

**The reliability of finding an ally**

Alexis saw the car approach and prepared herself for the comments, for the looks, she knows what she looks like, she know the black aye and the bruises and possible lip looked way worse than they were. This is not a bad JLo movie, she is not a batter woman fleeing her abusive husband, she just left her job, apartment, and whole life behind. She is just running, and funny enough is not the first time; at least all the other times she was saving her skin and sometimes her reputation, this time the stakes are impossibly high and building up. Alexis feels profoundly regretful, this is not how she imagined her triumphant return to Schitt’s Creek; she imagined it happening earlier for starters, and in a healthier chosen way. But here she is, alone, emotionally disheveled, physically shaken and just done with life.

She can see David’s face; his eyes are doing that thing where they seem to be impossibly round, Patrick is pulling up and she gets her stuff together, she only brought a backpack and a suitcase, she tries the best she can to fix her face, to smile convincingly enough. Her lip burns, it just stopped bleeding really, she is quite sure one of her ribs is cracked, she needs a hospital and the visit would make it real, everything that happened, she was not sure if she was ready for that, but the last occurrences put her in an awkward position.

One of the reasons she decided to lay low with her brother and his husband is that the people from the community takes care of one another, and by god she need some good loving.

David is the first out of the car, he walks to her and she sits down on the bench.

“Hi”

“Good morning David” she sure hopes she sounds cheerful; she is looking at the ground like it is telling her a story.

“You are not alright, you should have told me” David sits down next to her, tightly, like he wants to take as little space as possible.

Patrick is approaching and he has a serious face on, he stands next to David and holds his hand.

She feels nauseous. It may be the concussion.

“David…”

“Yeah” his hand moves slowing towards her own hand.

“I think I have a bump in my head and I haven’t slept in like three thousand years” her hand takes his and holds on, just like when she was twelve and her period came and she thought she was going to die “I think I need to go the hospital, but you have to swear to me they are not going to like make a big deal out of this”

“I have absolutely cero control on the medical staff”

“Ok, how about we talk about the elephant in the room?” They could always trust Patrick to be the smart one “Alexis, can you follow my finger with your eyes? I am a little worried about the bump and your speech is slurred, I think you have a concussion”

She lifts her eyes and maybe the floor is moving right?

“I think I am going to throw up”

Alexis folded herself in half and the little food she had on her stomach made the trip back with violence, her hair almost comes forward but David is faster and holds the greasy bun in one hand while the other is doing some patterns in her back, this gentle touch brakes the dam and she starts crying, ugly crying.

“Come on Alexis, its ok, I’m going to make everything ok”

“I don’t want to go to the police”

“Alexis! This is not up to discussion; your face is broken” David said with almost no tact at all.

Patrick crouched in front of her and held her gaze

“I swear to you there will be no police, lets go to the hospital” his eyes were truthful and brown “please, we love you”

Patrick gathered her stuff while David got her to her feet, he held her elbow. They move fast and efficiently, like people who knew without a doubt that the other would be there to match the others energy. David helped her get into the car, once she was seated David hugged her one more time and murmured

“Please, tell me what happened. Please Alexis, you are over your head”

“No, I can still make it work” she pleaded “please don’t make me do something I do not want to do” her eyes filled with tears “Not you David, I know I can trust you, but like let me know if I can’t so I can like find someone who can”

“You can always trust me, always” he held her face in his hands

“Let go wierdo”

Patrick closes the trunk and climbs into the car

“Next stop: Elmdale E.R.”

Should she tell them?

The ride is short, and they must stop twice to let her throw up.

Thankfully, the waiting room is mostly deserted, living in a small community has its perks, and Patrick does most of the talking, one of the nurses gives him the forms she must fill.

“She said that we have to fill these and after that she can be admitted, I didn’t tell them the whole story because I don’t know he whole story”

Alexis had this feeling in her stomach the whole ride, like she had to pee really bad. She got up and heard David say to Patrick

"Please go with her, and make sure she doesn't escape."

"I'm going to the bathroom you psycho"

"Yeah" he said sarcastically "I'm not taking any chances, go with her honey, I will fill all the disgusting information"

Patrick and Alexis made their way to the bathroom, there was a line because they only had one stall, when it was her turn, she got in and pulled down her sweatpants and underwear.

That is when she saw it, the blood, it almost looked like she had her period.

Her knees felt weak and fuck if she did not feel like crying.

"Button?"

" Everything's alright?"

"Yeah… can you get David?"

"Yep" came the clipped answer

Alexis closed her legs like clamps and started to bounce them.

"Everything is fine" she chanted to herself while she waited for David

"Heey, can you open the door?"

Alexis got up, pulled her clothes up and jumped to the door

"Please, please, please don't be mad"

"About what?"

She took a deep breath and let it go

"I'm pregnant"

"WHAT!?"

"I'm pregnant" she repeated herself

"No"

"Yes"

"NO"

"YES"

"David, I'm pregnant and I'm bleeding"

"Bleeding? Where?"

"Where do you think?"

He got in the bathroom

"This is disgusting"

"I'm sorry"

"I can't believe what I'm about to say, but let me see"

"NO, I would rather die than let you see"

"Don't be dumb Alexis, I'm not asking to see that just let me see your underwear, maybe it's just spotting"

"How do you know that?"

"I used to have friends who had babies, one of them had a miscarriage"

Her eyes got huge and filled with tears

"Miscarriage?"

"We don't even know if this is a miscarriage, relax"

She lowered her pants and underwear and saw his eyes get big.

"Yeah, ok, it's fine we are at a hospital it's going to be fine"

She burst into tears and sobbed. She almost lost her beautiful cheekbone for this hypothetical child and it seems it wasn’t enough.

David hugged her, first tentatively, then with a firmness she had never been the recipient of it was almost always Stevie or Patrick, never her.

"This is what we're going to do, you're going to pull up your pants and we are going to talk to nice lady in the reception?, she will help us and everything is going to be fine"

Alexis sobbed into his shoulder

"Hey, let me feel your face” David held her unbruised cheekbone.

He got up and pulled her up, and said to her

"You need to be strong, for the ball of cells and for yourself, we are going to get you through this I promise, but you have to be strong"

David already had a whole scenario in his head about what happened but tried to remain calm. As they got out of the bathroom, Patrick was there sweet, dependable Patrick got close and saw both of their faces and made the math something was very wrong.

"David, I have to pee, should I pee? What if the baby slips out or something?"

"That's the wrong orifice Alexis, please pee"

Alexis shuts the door and David turns to look at his husband

"She is pregnant love" David whispered to him trying very hard to not be heard by his sister “I think she is having a miscarriage"

Patrick sighted and scrubbed his faces with both hands

"This is a clusterfuck"

"Yep"

"I'm going to kill that bastard"

"Not if I get him first" David sings

The bathroom door opened, and Alexis got out with her game face on.

"Let's go boys, let's get this over with"

They approach the front desk and Alexis gets the attention of one of the nurses.

"Hi. Hello. My name is Alexis Rose and I… like … I'm not sure…"

The nurse looks ready to turn around when David puts his hand on Alexis shoulder.

"Hello my sister here, is pregnant and bleeding and I believe she needs some assistance, we already filled the forms for the concussion but we did not know she was pregnant" David said with a pointed look.

The nurse then looks at them with more precision and notices the bruises and Alexis face and does all the mental gymnastics needed. 

"Let's get you changed and ready, and when you are set up, I will come out to get your brother"

David held her once more and did something he never did before without profound emotional exertion.

"I love you, everything is going to be just fine"

The nurse leads her to a room and tells Alexis to change and get in the bed, asks her if she is wearing a tampon, to which she answers a rotund no, and then the nurse asks her to see her underwear to assess the amount of blood.

"Are you safe?"

"What?"

"Are.you.safe? Are any of the men who came with you responsible for your injuries?"

"NO, those men are my family, the dark-haired one is my brother and the other is his husband"

Alexis hands start to tremble and her throat closes

"They are just saving me, I swear; I needed help and I did not even want to come to the hospital, and they bargained with me"

A zap of energy came through her and she sat up in the bed and made a motion to get to her clothes.

"You know maybe I need to leave, whatever is happening is already in motion and I can totally go through this alone in our house thank you so much for your help"

The nurse made a funny face and smiled

"Ok honey, let me get your discharge papers and your brother and you'll be out of here in a moment" she got out of the room and Alexis started to cry and felt so nauseous that she thought maybe something was really wrong because she had already thrown up everything she had eaten in like the whole week.

The door opened again, and it was David.

"What's this nonsense that you want to leave? Alexis you need a doctor!"

"David, she asked me if you or Patrick were responsible for this? Like no, let's go if the little lemon wants to die, I have to let it go"

"Lemon? The fuck are you talking about? Is the concussion destroying your brain?"

"I have this app in my phone that tells me the size of the baby, it is supposed to be the size of a lemon right now"

"How many weeks along are you?"

"I am not completely sure"

"Oh my God"

"I haven't been to a doctor!"

"Why? Why Alexis? Why do you do this kind of shit all the time? Are you even sure you're pregnant?”

"Yes asshole, my period was like always on time, like surprisingly on time; three months ago I like was late, took a pregnancy test and it was positive" she shrugged her shoulder " and it was that"

David had a look she had never seen on him before, like he could not believe this was his capable sister who used to pull herself and her friends out of all kinds of shit.

"Alexis, do you know that mom almost died before you were born?"

"What does that have to do with this David?"

"Shush, she had an ectopic pregnancy and she didn't tell dad, she almost bleed out in the bathtub, Adelina found her" David sat down next to her and held her hand " please just let them look, let them take care of you, and I promise if there's nothing worthwhile for you here, I will brake you out myself, please Alexis this is the only thing I'm asking from you, I don't want to come home tomorrow to find your corps in my guestroom" he held her hand hard and with a cracking voice said aging "Please"

Her brother, the only man in this world, if you don't count her dad and she doesn't because it is his duty to care for her, who continuously is by her side, the human who was ready to lie to the hospital nurses for her is asking for a truly tiny favor. And she is going to comply even if that means she must find out her baby is dead, was dead before she got in the bus.

Whatever

It is fine

“Fine, I will, I promise”

David walked out of the room to meet with the nurse and Patrick.

“She will stay”

Both the nurse and Patrick exhale.

“Ok boys, let me get her set up and after we are going to talk”

The nurse went back to the room and helped Alexis change into the Hospital gown.

“We are calling the OBGYN, she is coming just sit tight, I am getting your brother”

“Thank you”

Before the nurse could leave the room, Alexis asks a question.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,”

“You have to be super truthful though, if this is a miscarriage; do you think my tiny lemon is already dead?”

“I am not qualified to answer to that question Alexis, but we are going to do everything that’s possible to make sure you and the baby are ok”

* * *

The nurse made her way out of Alexis room

“We need to talk about the elephant in the room, let me tell you how I am reading this situation: two men come to the E.R. with a batted woman who claims to have a concussion, they go into the restroom and when they come out she is pregnant with a threat of miscarriage; can you see, why this situation is worrisome?”

David’s mouth is already open to answer the hostile implication when Patrick answers for both.

“We know, believe me we know, we had not heard from her in three months and when she called us today at six in the morning to pick her up we thought this was just a hiccup, not this horrible situation, in the bus station she threatened us to leave if we involved the police”

“I know my sister; she is not above fleeing if she feels like that is the best solution”

The nurse looks at them with a crushing gaze; and in that moments it crashed to her, where are this young woman’s parents? The reality seems to be that she is all alone with this couple who look just a few years older than her, and not very much wiser. She decides then and there that she is on their side.

“Let me introduce myself, my name is Julia, and I am going to help you, all of you”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for making it all the way here, let me tell you something about me, I am a she (haha) living life at the fullest as I can during this pandemic; I love baking and cooking in general so I’m most likely to write it into the story at some point. The nurses name is a significant one for me, one of my closest friend died of covid and she was a nurse, she was a lovely human and I’m immortalizing her in my writing, letting other people know her wonderful self just as I did. If you lost someone I feel with you, I hope the loss gets lighter at some point, and meanwhile I write.


	4. Wonderful sound in the worst circumstances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Alexis discus the circumstance that lead her to be back to Schitt's Creek, Patrick realizes there are some parts of his husbands past they haven’t talked about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellou, here I come with another update, let me warn you this time of the year my creative juices flow like a river. I kind of have an idea of where this story is going but I am still not sure how many chapters or whatever so… well see. I’m not a health professional so I’m going to have stuff or concept wrong, I will try to be as accurate as possible.
> 
> \-----------------  
> Trigger Warning  
> Discussion of miscarriages.  
> General discussion of assault  
> Sexual Assautl ambiguity

**Chapter 4**

Wonderful sound in the worst circumstances

“Should I call my parents?” David asks the room; Patrick look ready to throw up at the simple suggestion, thinking about the reaction the elder Roses fills him with dread.

“Boy, you are asking the right question to the wrong people” Julia answered “I am going to make an exception with you; both of you will be at the screening, first we need to do an ultrasound and then, depending on what the ultrasound reveals, you will have to talk to a gynecologist, I’m going to give you a few minutes to regroup; please be ready for whatever comes your way"

She goes to the front desk and Patrick and David are alone at last.

Patrick hugs David and for the first time since they left their house, their safe heaven, David cries and sobs, he clings to his husband knowing he is strong enough to hold him emotionally. The truth is they are in a situation, a horrible, awful situation and neither of them knows how to proceed.

“Do you think she wanted to keep it?” David wondered

“I think so, she came all the way from Ney York, and judging by the way she is acting…” Patrick voiced what both were thinking.

“If she loses it, I know it is going to be devastating but I am sure she will pull through, but this is a whole new level of fucked up Patrick, even for us”

Patrick held his husband and prayed for the strength he knew they would need.

Julia came back with a technician and the ultrasound machine.

“Are we ready, gentlemen?”

“As ready as we can be” David answered

Julia helped the technician and the machine into the room, and asked Alexis if she wanted her brother and his partner in the room with her. Alexis thought hard about it, did she want David and Button in the room in case the lemon was dead? Her first answer was absolutely not, but then she realized that David had already seen her bloody underwear and what could be more humiliating really. And the notion of confronting the looming threat of a miscarriage by herself seemed a bit much for her current fragility.

“Yes please, I want them here”

Julia peaked her head out of the room, and it dawned to Alexis that maybe they already had a conversation on this, and for now that was fine. Patrick and David got in the room and moved to stand on each side of the bed, David on the right and Patrick on the left. The technician started to explain the procedure.

“Today we are performing a transvaginal ultrasound to produce a clearer image, this probe will go into your vagina and rest against the back of your vagina while the images are captured” the woman explained almost mechanically “We need to hear the fetus heartbeat, please prop up your feet and legs”

The lab technician pulled the probe form the machine and put wat looked to be a condom on it, applied some lube and looked at her right in eye.

“We are going to start”

She initially felt almost nothing, and then the pressure began to increase and her incommodity too, the worst part was the silence, the silence she knew meant something was wrong. Alexis held David’s hand harder than she needed to, and both hands began to shake.

“Please, please, please” Alexis murmured

Then the most wondrous thing happened, a swoosh and then a rapid heartbeat could be heard.

The most beautiful heartbeat any of them had ever heard.

Alexis broke down in tears, loud and ugly; Patrick looked at David and they shared a look of deep relief; David bended down to hug Alexis.

“ok, please do not jostle her, we need a clear image, that’s your baby’s heart” and then she pointed at a blob “that the spine” Alexis couldn’t distingues anything but she was happy that the lemon was good and healty, the prob was retired and Julia approached the technician started a rapid murmured conversation.

“Ahem, is there something I need to know?” Alexis knew that conversation and those looks could not mean anything good.

The technician excused herself, she had other procedures scheduled, congratulated her and disappeared through the door.

“Alexis we are not outside of the woods yet, do you understand that just because we heard the heartbeat, that does not mean we are out of the woods” Julia pressed “ the OBGY is on her way, she is supposed to be here any moment know; do you have anything you need to tell us before she gets here?”

“Nope”

“Are you sure?”

“yep”

“Gentlemen please give us a few minutes by ourselves”

Patrick took David’s hand and got out.

Julia leaned in and spoke gently to Alexis.

“Dear, the technician saw some bruises in you thigs and some scratches; do we need to perform and examination?”

“NO” Alexis moaned “Don’t please, he doesn’t even live in Canada, he lives in the states, I do not want him to find me, please. I am embarrassed to be in this situation”

“Girl, those men are ready for anything and everything you throw at them, but it is your choice, what do you want to do?”

The last eight months of her life Alexis felt like she was moving on autopilot, not quite there. Even when she made the decision of getting on the bus and asking for David’s help, she knew that was the desperation of being on the edge of the abyss rather than a really well thought out decision. The truth is she is ashamed, of how she let herself get this deep in shit; she has dealt with pirates, business moguls and violent princes, how come it was the supposedly sweet and harmless university professor who caused so much chaos in her life.

She let her guard down that is how and she is not trusting herself anymore; she needs some outward input and she has learned something by living with David in Schitt’s Creek, David is usually there to helper her, and now obviously the Button too.

“Let them in please, can you give us like 10 minutes max to talk?” Alexis asked Julia.

“You got it girl” Julia took her hand and looked at her directly in the eyes “you are strong enough, you have your family with you, I am not going to let you sink, ok?”

“Yeah”

Alexis held her hand like a lifeline with shuddering breaths until she felt strong enough to face life.

“I can do this”

* * *

Patrick and David opened the door and approached the bed, David sat in the chair next to Alexis and Patrick sat at her feet.

“So, I do not know if you remember Darius”

“You know we do; how could we forget the asshole who thought we wanted to gentrify our community” David answered with sarcasm. Patrick made a face.

“Well things were not that great, like for a long time; like even before you guys met him”

“This is his doing, is that what you’re trying to tell us Alexis” David exclaimed

“No, like yes but no; I was there because I wanted to be with him, like I thought he made me smarter or whatever. I stayed because everyone around us, except you, kept telling me he was such a nice guy and smart and accomplished outside of anything I had ever understood” Alexis wrung the sheet between her hands “but he lied to me, he told me he was single but… turns out it wasn’t true, the days he told me he had office hours or had to work late were actually the days he had to go back home… to his wife and daughter”

David and Patrick had similar faces, eyebrow up into their hairlines and mouths slightly opened.

“How? How did you not know this man had a whole ass family on the side?” David asked her, incredulous.

“Well I am a bossbabe, I work crazy hours David; I trusted him, every single one of my alarms were silent with him, he seemed like the perfect man; anyways whatever he has a family, I told him I was pregnant and he lost his mind knocked me into the dresser and whatever, I took some of my shit and came here running”

Silence greeted Alexis.

“And like I am only telling you now because the OBGYN will ask some stuff and I beg you please back me up, I do not want to accuse him of anything, I don’t want to see him ever again and if that means I have to deal with this hell, then so be it”

“What kind of questions?” sweet, innocent Patrick was asking something his husband had already suspected but was not comfortable voicing. His awful sister was introducing them into his worst nightmare.

“Did he rape you?” David asked bluntly

“No, he didn’t” Alexis winced “but he may have gotten rough, he left some bruises and scratches maybe a bite mark”

“Did you consent to that?”

“No, but I was there David, I could have left at any point, but I didn’t”

“Why _did_ you leave Alexis?”

“I do not want the lemon to be born into an unhappy place David; I want them here with me, with a family that’s happy to welcome them, we know how hard it is to be unwanted David, my tiny lemon is not unwanted, I want them, I love them and I haven’t even met them”

By this point Alexis was openly crying and David had already made up his mind, damm it; even if he hates children on principle, there is little he is not willing to do for his family. If Alexis was a difficult woman on theory, with this kind of destruction going on nothing could predict the type of house guest David was getting for the next year.

Fuck it

“Yes, the lemon” David winced “Is totally wanted here Alexis, don’t worry about that; just so we are clear when the OBGYN asks the hard questions you’re going to lie, because at the very least what that animal did to you is abuse”

“When the doctor asks, I am going to answer that my ex-partner got rough and was very apologetic about it; and that is it “

Patrick witnessed the whole combo and with every affirmation he got paler and paler; this was way too much, these two were discussing rape as if it was the weather, he knew his husband had a difficult past but this situation was opening some doors he was not even aware were there in the first place. 

“David, lets go get something to eat, I am starving, and I am sure Alexis would love something to eat”

David saw the look in his husband’s face and knew he needed to get him out of the room before he exploded in front of Alexis.

“Yes Button, please get me a tea, chamomile” Alexis faked smiled and hoped that they would leave it at that

“Food Alexis, solid food”

“Fine, get me some toast, I can’t stomach more”

\---------

David and Patrick made their way to the hospital small café in complete silence.

“David, we are going to talk about the rape, right”

“Yes, I think she is not ready to face it as what it was, but I am almost a hundredth percent sure that’s what happened”

“No David I got that from the conversation, and contrary to your beliefs I am becoming fluent in Rose” Patrick said while scanning the small menu “I just need you to tell me if there is something like this in your past, we have never spoken about this kind of thing, and don’t get me wrong I am worried about Alexis situation; but this whole time I have been worried about the possibility that the love of my life had to go through this alone”

Patrick lifted his eyes from the menu to meet David worried face.

“Do you want me to lie?” David murmured

“No, you know I would rather deal with a horrible truth than live with a wonderful lie”

“I had some encounters that were not consensual, I went to therapy for a looooong time love; I honestly didn’t talk about it because I like to put things like that into boxes and never ever have to deal with them again”

Patrick met David in an intense hug, felt his waist and his back, loved him for all he was, even the sharp edges; thanking whatever force there is that he got to meet David when he did.

“Thank you for being honest with me; is this triggering for you? Do we need to get help?”

“Nope, the less people involved the better” David kissed his head “ I am sorry I did not ask you, I think Alexis is going to stay with us while she gets on her feet, I am sorry I made a huge decision without even discussing it with you…”

David was working himself into a hectic speech when Patrick kissed him to shut him up. He threated his hands behind David’s head and said to him.

“David, I knew when I married you whose family I was marring into, if anything I am surprised the drama hadn’t made an appearance into our life’s before”


	5. We might need more help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David calls stevie and asks for back up, Dr. Hart speaks with them and delivers some unpleasant news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, where I live it is currently 100 grades Celsius, super fucking hot, and I am writing with my cat by my side, her name is Appa, as in the flying bison in avatar the last airbender; for some reason she loves sleeping next to me when I write. we have 4 cats, all rescued, and my life right now revolves around them :D  
> As always if anything feels triggering let me know.

Chapter 5 

Alexis is all alone when the OBGYN arrived.

Dr. Hart is a woman in her forties, who looks awesome with her short bob and her grey hairs peeking through her dark hair.

“Hi, my name is Alma Hart and I have been assigned to your case” dr. Hart smiled at Alexis, noticing the bruises with a discreet eye; Julia had already talked to her about the case, the battered woman who claimed she was fine and her brother and his husband, whom looked way over their head. Alma has an idea of what happened, the situation they are facing as health providers.

“We need some samples, urine and blood, have you eaten anything the last nine hours?”

“No, my stomach is like super upset”

“Perfect, I can give you medicine for that; the good news is we can get the blood samples today. I need a better look at the little guy or girl, are we comfortable with that?”

“Totally” Alexis hesitate before asking the doctor “Mmm I would love, if it was possible of course, a picture or something”

Alma already knew what she needed, Alexis needed a physical representation of her baby, an undoubtable object, a certainty in these awful times.

“I can make that happen” Alma winked at her, trying to introduce some levity to the situation.

“We have to wait for my brother though”

Just as they were getting everything ready, David and Patrick knocked the door.

“Come in gentlemen”

“Hi, Hello, nice to meet you; I am Alexis’s Brother, David and this is my husband Patrick”

“I was explaining Alexis what we are doing today, some blood and urine samples; the fetus size and weigh are a concern, going by the ultrasound you are 12 weeks along but he fetus is a little small for its gestational age; let’s have a chat alright?”

“Small?”

“Yes, but nothing that can’t be helped with some good nutrition and rest; I’m sorry if I am being intrusive but, I gather from this situation that she was not in a safe place, right?” Dr. Hart looked at the three of them and saw just how inexperienced they were, Julia had already talked with her and filled her in some of the tricky parts of this whole situation.

Alexis felt like all the air get hot and unbearable. David saw his sisters face and understood that she was at the end of her rope. She needs a brake from all of this.

“Yes, but as we all know that has been dealt with right, love?” David said to the room but kept his eyes fixed into Dr. Hart eyes.

They had a silent conversation in an instant.

Patrick caught on what was going on and answered “Yes, she is coming home with us and we are taking care of her”

Patrick and Dr. Hart talk about the diet, they needed Alexis to gain weight, for her health and for the baby’s health. While David tries to get her to come back to the situation, she needs to be alert for all of this, or at least some of it. 

Patrick Brewer is a lot of things but first and foremost he is a planner, he thrives with structure and if there is anything both Roses need right now is structure and somebody who can provide it for them.

Dr. Hart Emphasized on the importance of good eating and rest, and all Alexis can think is how awful and disgusting all forms of food feel like to her in this moment. David excused himself to go out and make a phone call, Alexis supposes it was to call one of their employees and get the store sorted out for the day.

* * *

The phone ringed four times before Stevie answered.

"David if this is not an emergency, I swear I’m going to kill you"

"Stevie, I am at the hospital"

"WHAT? What happened? Is it Patrick?" Stevie shouted through the phone, wide awake.

"No, it's Alexis" David mumbled with a cracking voice.

"What's the matter? Is she ok? I thought she was with whatever his name was in New York"

"She got here at six am and she's bruised Stevie, like a black eye and split lip and a huge bruise in her cheekbone" David said while he looked at the sky, blue and ever growing. "Stevie… she is pregnant and almost had miscarriage"

"Pregnant?" Stevie was up and running, getting her shit together for the trip back to Schitt’s creek. "I'm leaving today"

"No, please stay there, I just needed to talk to you"

"Stop asshole, I am going back, I'll be there in the afternoon, we need to take care of this; is it Darius? Did he actually hit her?"

" Yeah, I am just as surprised as you, she told us this crazy story, like that asshole had a family on the side or something, I'm almost one thousand percent sure the whole thing is a lie" David added "Stevie this is my worst nightmare, she got into a problem and I couldn't get her out"

David launched into a noise cry, because he knew Stevie could take it and right now, he needed her.

"Here's what you are going to do: you need to take pictures of the bruises and if Alexis is smart, she already has a folder full of all the shit that asshole made her go through"

"What?"

"David, I'm almost completely sure this is not the first time something like this happened, but maybe we should take a breather before we have that conversation; remember, take pictures, get a nurse to start a file and whatever you do, do not make her feel trapped, because there's nothing more dangerous than a Rose feeling out of control"

David's stint in the Amish farm came to mind immediately.

"Right, ok, thank you Stevie; I love you"

"I know, I gotta go, I'm booking my flight, sit tight"

David took a deep breath and went back to the room, this day seemed to be eternal, it was only 10:30 but he felt like he has been up for at least thirteen hours; Patrick was outside the room when he reached it.

"Love, she has a bruised rib and thank God her cheekbone is not broken, the concussion is mild, and the nausea is most likely a byproduct of the hormones, but we have to keep an eye out for it, if she starts slurring her speech or loses consciousness we have to get back here immediately" Patrick hugged him and laid his head on his shoulder "David this is serious, really serious."

"Fuck"

"The way I see it we might need more help than we thought, should we call my parents? Maybe Stevie?"

Patrick knew the elder Roses would not be of any help in a situation like this, Alexis already felt out of control there was no need to make a difficult situation worse by bringing Moira Rose to the equation

"Don't worry honey, I already spoke with Stevie she's arriving at 9 tonight"

Patrick lifted his head from David's shoulder and kissed him with passion, there was nothing better than a David with a mission.

"You are the light of life; do you know that?" Patrick said thickly.

"Oh baby, I know that nobody would willingly go through all of this shit if they didn't love me" David laughed and held his husband tighter.


	6. I Hope You Are Happy Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexis is discharged and faces reality, well kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had an image in my head of Alexis throwing something in a fit and Patrick sitting her down and explaining to her that that was something they didn’t do in their house; something along those lines were the inspiration of this whole story. I love the idea of all of them developing a sturdy emotional relationship. And the inspiration for this scene is a video in YouTube by SBSP (Special Books by Special Kids), this is an awesome YouTube channel where interviews with disabled and neurodiverse people take place; I love their videos and the one I’m referring to is “Alyssa’s 5 mental health disorders”, I can’t recommend it enough, they talk about the challenges and wonders of love in the threshold of mental health disorders, it’s a wonderful interview, they describe one of the first fights they had and how Chris had to sit her down and explain to her that yelling and slamming shit wasn’t a way of living in a loving healthy relationship and that part ignited me, I love Schitt’s creek but I do believe a healthy relationship requires work and conversations that I supposed had almost no time for developing, soooo I will do that :D. 
> 
> Trigger Warning  
> Discussion and description of assault and bruises.

Before they can even talk about discharge, Nurse Julia and Dr. Hart make it abundantly clear to David and Patrick the fact that this is going to be an uphill battle; Alexis is not in a place where she can process what she is going through, she is under the illusion that everything is fine, and she is fine. They need to be prepared for the fall out, and boy if David is not prepared.

“You can call me if you need help” Julia told them after she gave them her card with her personal number. “a nurse is going to and clean her face, how about we have a conversation with Dr. Hart outside?”

Patrick and David followed her out and met with Dr. Hart.

“I would like to advise some form of counseling for Alexis whenever the option is available. Dr. Hart explained “This is going to be a thought time and that’s without taking the hormonal changes she is about to go through; do not hesitate to call us”

Julia wondered out loud what everyone had in mid

“Do we know where her partner is at the moment? Does he know her whereabouts?”

“No, we don’t even know where he lives and if I’m honest this is the first place he is going to look if he wants to find her” David answered reluctantly.

“Ok, first you have to get an order of protection, for safety purposes and in case Alexis wants to file a complaint, you are going to need evidence, I am going to ask her if she wants the pictures taken but I must tell you if she declines, I don’t have a leg to stand on, it is her choice, and you must make pace with it”

* * *

Julia entered the room alone; Alexis supposes Dr. Hart, Patrick and David are outside discussing her home care plan, whatever, she doesn’t need to worry about that right know.

“Alexis, would you mind if we took some pictures?” Julia asked Alexis.

“like… why?”

“In case you want to file a report or an order of protection”

“Protection from who?”

“Alexis, we both know that whoever did this?” Julia gestured to her face with her finger making a circle around it “will probably look for you again and you need to be prepared, I am here to tell you you’re not alone in this; so, can I take the pictures?”

Alexis mulled the question over and over, should she confront the truth right now? maybe this is exactly why she refused to come back here the minute things turned sour, Alexis knew without a doubt people here cared, even if they didn’t even know you. This level of care is almost unbearable when all you had before was reluctant affection and an ambivalent relationship.

The first time Darius got physical with her, it wasn’t a full-on slap in the face; they were arguing in a party of a colleague of his, things got out of hand quickly and he slammed her into a wall. To this day he maintained his side of the story: they were drunk and tripped, it was plain bad luck that she ended up face first in the wall.

It did not start with physical violence. But it certainly got real after the first bruise.

Julia presented her with the opportunity of having evidence without the questions, the awful looks, just a person being helpful.

Why the hell not, right?

“Sure, yeah, let’s do that”

Julia got to work quickly, just in case Alexis wanted to back down, she got the camara and told her to hold still, she captured the bruises in her face and the split lip.

“Let’s get the ribs now”

Alexis took the gown down and let her take the picture of the huge bruise in her left ribcage, she cannot really see it from this angle, but she is sure it has the shape of a foot, after all she was there when that foot came stomped on her ribs.

“Umm I have also some bite marks in my left arm”

“Let’s get those too”

After the whole ordeal Julia gave Alexis her card and said to her “Call me if you need me”

* * *

After they got all the lineaments, they were supposed to follow for at least two weeks, Dr. Hart discharged Alexis. She was flabbergasted by the fact that she needed to be rolled out of the hospital, she is certainly not that damaged. They all agree that this fucking day has been long enough and drive straight to the cottage, Alexis falling asleep right away.

David and Patrick decided they needed to go to the pharmacy to get Alexis’s supplement prescription filled and other things they might need.

“This is so surreal, I am getting my sister iron and folic acid, I feel like I took the wrong kind of acid” David mused to Patrick while they waited in the line.

“I know baby, should we get something special for dinner today?”

“Let’s get that fancy pizza we loved, I am in dire need of cheese and bread”

“You got it” Patrick kissed his husbands’ cheek and thought even if this whole situation were horrible, there was nothing he would rather be doing than sorting life by the side of David, even if that meant buying iron and folic acid at noon. After getting everything David wandered to the candy aisle and bough his weight in candy if anything this horrible day require it.

* * *

When they got home and ordered the pizza, Patrick asked David what type of topping Alexis would want; David answered him it didn’t matter because the course of an emotionally imbalanced Alexis was really clear, and in this particular stage she would refuse to eat.

“She needs to eat David”

“I know her, she won’t eat baby”

“I understand love, but I need you to understand the fact that she has a serious health condition right now and we need to ensure she is taking care of herself”

“Patrick, I know you have only known her in her sunnier version, but when Alexis wants to be difficult, she is DIFFICULT; in my experience, she will resort to either to violence or crying, if we are unlucky both”

David puttered around in the kitchen taking plates out and opening a bottle of wine.

“What do you mean sunnier? Do you remember that time she made me carry her luggage with all of her earthly possessions twice?”

“I know, yes I remember, but honey the last time she was in a position remotely close to this one: she was twelve in Honk Kong, alone because her friends ditched her and tattooed. She broke every single plate we owned Patrick. She stood in the kitchen and broke everything; I love our stuff, I love our dinner plates, I adore our mismatched mugs. I don’t want our house to become a battle ground”

David confided in Patrick

“First of all, David we are adults, and we have rules in this house for a reason; Second, I will never allow a single person, even your pregnant sister, to destroy our safe haven, that includes our tableware, I know how important this is for you; not in a materialistic sense my love but in an emotional added value, our shit mean something to you because it is ours. I will handle her if she gets out of control”

“I don’t want you changing your opinion of her, based on this situation” David murmured

“Don’t worry, please, you have enough on your plate”

Patrick had an idea of what this conundrum would be like.

But boy was he wrong.

Alexis woke up and saw the ceiling of the guest room and wondered to herself what she should do next, this is the lowest point in her life she could not get lower; Maybe this was a signal from the universe to get her shit together. She got up to go to the bathroom and sat in the toilet; she looked down to her underwear and saw almost nothing, the bleeding stopped thank god; if Alexis was truthful, she is still quite scared to sit down and pee, she had this irrational fear of peeing her baby out. She knows this is not possible, thank you so much, but she felt like the lemon was in danger.

The danger part at least is the truth. Darius doesn’t have a family on the side, that is actually the problem, the liberal philosophy professor actually is a dude behind all of that and Alexis should have remembered that, when news of the pregnancy came to be the reality was that Alexis didn’t want to have this baby, it was not the right time in her professional life and when push came to shove it was her body, her choice; What she didn’t contemplate was awful pretentious Darius, the man who believed the ball of cells in her uterus was half his from the moment of conception without a doubt.

At first Alexis was astonished by this retrograded way of thinking, like this dude went through all the thresholds of education and still thought this.

Like what. The. Fuck?

Right?

Alexis wouldn’t be surprised to meet a man with this stance in like Indiana, but this man was a liberal who only bought fair trade coffee, who went to marches and donated on a daily basis to single mothers. This man represented a cognitive dissonance in all of its glory.

One day he could be the sweet thoughtful man she met and fallen in love with, and the next day he could be cruel and abusive and more.

Alexis is sure if she doesn’t give him a performance Golden Gobles worthy, he is going to come here looking for them. He knew she left in a bad shape and right around now was probably asking around, her friends and her neighbors, she needed to act quickly and smartly.

Alexis pulled her phone from her backpack and turned it on.

20 missed calls from “Darius Bear”

9n new text messages

Alexis needed to act fast.

She tapped his name, took a deep breath, and called him.

“Al, is that you?”

“…”

“You know I am sorry; this is the last time I swear”

“Darius bear…”

“No, I swear to you, on my baby’s name, that I’m going to fix myself, I’m going to be the father our bay needs”

“No Darius”

“We have talked about this; termination is not an option, we have to work this out”

“Darius, I lost the baby”

“No, you didn’t”

“Yes Darius, I lost it; it was the worst thing I have ever gone through, I felt it die Darius and couldn’t do shit, we killed our baby” Alexis said to him through tears and sobs “we killed it, I should have left earlier, this is my fault for putting up with you and your issues”

At this point Alexis was screaming to the phone

"This is your fault Al, you know sometimes I lose control; you have to help me, you know that. I can't believe this is happening" Darius answered her with tears in his voice.

The worst part was that he was probably destroyed by this. He wanted this child so much as to guilt her into having it.

Poor little soul.

Fuck him

FUCK.HIM

"I need to get away, not see you for a while"

"Al, don't do this, we need each other to get through this nightmare"

"I need to come to terms with this Darius bear, I feel like I'm drowning. I don't know if I can live with myself after this"

There was a silence, Alexis waited with a battered breath.

"You didn't want it, you told me you wanted to get an abortion, this is on you Al" Darius said with venomous words.

Alexis is no longer under his thumb, she is smart enough to know this is the start of the show, he's about to start yelling and calling her names, if she was in the same city as him, he would look for her like a mad man, he has before, and drag her home; but alas she is not there, he is going to scream and leave a trail.

Just like she needed. Alexis stared to record the call.

"It was my choice in that moment Darius, you knew that. We also came to the agreement to have this baby, both of us, you swore to me that you would change, that you wouldn't lay a finger on me again" Alexis shouted at him.

"You bitch, this is your fault, I didn't even hit you that hard, this is your fault Alexis, you know sometimes I have to get a little rough with you so you can come to your senses. I told you, you needed to take care of yourself. You needed to look out for yourself, stop antagonizing me. This is on you, where the fuck are you? I need to talk face to face"

Alexis is a whole world away, in the safety of her brother’s guest bedroom. In a different country. But still her hands start to shake, and her vision goes blurry. She fears him.

She is terrified

"I don't think I can do that babe"

"I don't care Alexis, I need to see you, aren't you a selfish little brat? This is your fault and the only thing I am asking from you is a little understanding and support. You can't even do that for me" Darius screams at her "you know this is what everyone told me would happen"

"What do you mean everyone?"

"All of our friends told me you would wreck my life and I didn't believe them because I loved you; you’re poisonous, anyone who gets close to you ends up burned, on a second thought I think my baby knew that their mother didn't want them. You killed my baby Alexis" Darius ranted at her. “This is what you wanted Alexis, this is your doing, I hope you’re happy now”

“I didn’t want this Darius, you left me no choice, do you think I wanted to lose our baby in the bus station, I almost blead to death”

“So, where are you? Huh, because if you were at a bus station, where were you going?” Darius taunted “Perhaps its Miami with Blair, or maybe Seattle with that asshole I know is dying to fuck you”

Alexis feels like she is unraveling, maybe she should come back or at least let him come here to take care of this whole thing; the last thing she wants to do is make him the problem of someone else.

“No, I am not there. I need some time alone; I need to mourn Darius. This is getting out of hand, I need time to think, please let me have some time”

Alexis knows she sound like she is pleading with an owner, not a partner of almost a year.

Alexis was so engrossed in the fight that she did not realized that the door of the bedroom was opened, and David and Patrick came inside. Both heard the commotion of Alexis yelling and came thundering upstairs. They waited outside for a while until they heard Alexis sound hectic.

David held her shaking hands and mouthed to her “Hang up, Alexis”

“You will never talk sense into someone like that Alexis” Patrick reasoned to her in a quiet voice “You need to be the one who nips this relationship at the root, give him an ultimatum, we will work it out”

David held her hands while Patrick held her shoulders in a one-armed hug, both grounding her in the reality that she is not alone, not anymore. And even if all their friends thought she was a horrible person, which se doubted by the way because most of them told her in private that they didn’t know how she put up with him, she didn’t care.

FUCK HIM.

FUCK THIS.

“Bear, I needed to leave; this is it babe”

“Are you sure? What about your shit? Everything is here”

“you can keep all of it, I don’t care, you did the most horrendous thing you could have done, I don’t care if you burn my shit or give it to charity; I.DON’T.FUCKING.CARE” Alexis yelled at the phone.

“You are going to regret this Alexis”

“Is that a threat?”

“You know its not, it’s an omen; You can’t go through life living without consequences, that’s exactly the reason you are a spoiled brat”

“Goodbye Darius”

Alexis hanged up the phone and felt like throwing up.

“I feel nauseous”

“That’s okey, that’s normal; you just cliff dived into the ocean metaphorically speaking, also you are pregnant, you have a pass” Patrick kissed her head and headed to the kitchen to get her a glass of water.

David sat on the bed and looked at his sister. This situation continued to be a growing problem, it kept getting bigger and more complex. If they were going to make this better, they needed the whole ugly truth.

No more lies

And fuck Alexis, she put him in a horrible position of pushing her to get the truth out.

Patrick came back and gave the glass to Alexis; David and Patrick watched Alexis drink the water with small sips, they looked at each other and knew they were thinking the same thing.

Let’s get the truth out of her.

“So… the whole family on the side story is lie right” David asked her right of the bat.

“Yeah” Alexis whispered

“What is going on Alexis?”

“I mean… like… Button…you both have to promise me you won’t judge me”

“Yeah, whatever”

“You know we would never judge you in a moment like this Alexis” Patrick gave his husband the side eye, commanding him to stop speaking.

“Mmm, like you want the whole thing or the short version?”

“Please be as specific as you can be, I fear we might need all the details, we are not sure how you actually meet each other, we didn’t even know you were living together before this phone call” Patrick said smartly.

“Well, we met in the house of one of my coworkers, they were a little bit alternative and invited me to this super cool party where we were supposed to do some acid, but like when I got there everyone was already wasted and decided to leave and there he was, sitting outside smoking and one thing led to another and we spent the whole night together. We started going out and I was relatively new to the city, all my connections from you know, before, were decimated; I needed new people, and I thought that because he was an intellectual, he was actually good”

Alexis looked lost in the memory of the good sensation, the good parts of loving someone like Darius, someone who when he loved you It felt like an ocean wave crashing to you and Alexis was an avid swimmer, she was a swimmer who craved the rush of feeling a building crashing into you and shaking your foundations.

Perhaps if she compared her relationship with Darius to her relationship with Ted, well, Teds was a soft shore with calm waves and a never ending gentle fresh breeze; Darrius’s was a treacherous sea that seemed to have a gentle tide that ended up turning into endless whirlpools of chaos.

That was the catch, the seemingly gentleness.

“Around the time we made it official he was staying in my apartment like four nights a week because my house was closer to campus. He controlled everything from how I used to spend my grocery money to the color of the windows in the name of being helpful” Alexis told them “and then he saw how much my stuff was valued”

“What do you mean your stuff?” David asked her with an incredulous face.

“You know, my purses and clothes and like my skincare” Alexis made a face “my skincare was a constant conflict, it was way too expensive or whatever. We started to have constant arguments and he would constantly put me down and make me second guess myself”

“Second guess yourself?” Patrick mused

“Yes, I know. I am telling you the whole story and even I can’t believe myself, I am the most capable person I know, and I know a looooot of people. Whatever, the first time it got physical we were at a party in the house of a friend of his, we fought because he thought the wine bottle, I bought was too expensive but I know him and I believed he was just waiting for the right reason to go off, but I could never have predicted the way he exploded. He pushed me and slammed me into the wall of the house”

The silence in the bedroom could cut.

“He left some bruises, the next day he apologized and told me he had been dealing with depression and anxiety; he swore to me that it would never happen again and I believed him; he showed me a whole new world I had never met, he made me feel smart and stupid."

The three of them were silent until David broke the silence.

"Okey, let me just say this; people who make you feel stupid are never good, I have known real art intellectuals and in the worst cases they were like Darius and most of them weren't that smart. In the best cases they were humble and ready to share their knowledge; what he did was horrible Alexis, and I would like to know why you felt like you couldn't come to us"

"Every single time things got out of hand, he made me feel like I was blowing things out of proportion"

"Gaslighting you"

"Mmmm like let's not put names on things right now because I feel like I'm about to burst, thank youuuu" Alexis said with sarcasm " but after like the seventh incident I started recording our fights"

Just like Stevie said, David thought to himself.

"Why didn't you leave?" Patrick asked softly "You had a job, it was YOUR apartment, why didn't you leave?"

"I just couldn't" Alexis whispered "I became dependent of his approval, and anyway when things weren't awful, they were actually pretty good, he never cheated on me"

David had a face of disbelief on, how… like how this person was his sister, the one who thought there was something wrong with her because she couldn't fall in love.

"Alexis what he did was worst" Patrick told her with all the authority he could muster.

"Anyways I have some recordings and photos and stuff in google drive under a really random email because he used to search my phone" Alexis was busy trying signing into Gmail to see the horrified looks on David and Patrick face. "Mmmmm, I think this is one of the first ones I recorded"

* * *

_The recording starts and by the sounds of the scuffing, it seems like Alexis was trying to hide the phone._

_"What the fuck was that Al, huh"_

_"What are you talking about babe?"_

_"I fucking saw you Alexis, I saw you flirting with that girl" Darius screams._

_"I just said hi babe, I have to play nice for work you know that"_

_"I don't know shit Alexis, you're always putting yourself into dangerous situations, I'm sick of taking care of you"_

_"I'm a grown woman, I take care of myself" Alexis murmured_

_"No, you don't, I always have to stray you into the road of togetherness, you're constantly adrift; I should just let life happen to you" Darius shouted at Alexis_

_"I'm not sure if you know but life happened to me" Alexis shouted back_

_"No, my dear, you just were stripped of your huge amount of privilege, and still managed to come out of the other side fairly good. You haven't earned anything; you haven't earned shit"_

_"You know I have worked really hard; don't you dare fucking discredit me asshole"_

_"What have a I told you about cursing at me?" Darius screamed with all the rage he could muster. The phone struggles to record the magnitude of the scream._

_Then a slap. Alexis gasps._

_"I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry"_

_" You said it wouldn't happen again"_

_"I'm so sorry, you know I'm over my head baby, please forgive me"_

_"I should leave Darius; I don't think this is working anymore…"_

_"I will kill myself of you leave Alexis and that will be on you, I swear I will kill myself and everyone's going to know I died for your love Alexis do you want that?"_

_"Let me go Darius please, you're scaring me"_

_"I will never let you go Alexis"_

_There's a scuffing sound and sobs._

* * *

_The recording ended there._

"My phone died and didn't get the aftermath, the crying etc. The next day he told me this story, how his uncle used to beat him senseless, his backstory is truly horrible, and I couldn't help myself David" Alexis said throwing her face to her hands and moaning.

" Alexis, even if his fuckin backstory is the saddest tale of history, I don't care. He shouldn't have hurt you, if he were really committed to his recovery, he would have found a therapist not a human punching back"

"DAVID"

"Shut the fuck up David, just because you had the monopoly in horrible relationships and managed to claw your way out, it doesn't make you the king of healthy relationships"

"Excuse me! am I the one currently deep in so much shit that I had to escape to ANOTHER country… again?"

Patrick watched the tirade with helplessness, this was way above his pay grade; he knew how to deal with David, he even would say that right now they spoke the same language. But this ugly conversation happening between the roses was something scary and unknown to him.

"Hey … let's calm down"

"Shut up Button, you can't deflate David's battles for him" Alexis had an unfocused look on her eyes " and you should know if I had the choice, I would have run anywhere else, anywhere"

"FINE, then leave and take this clusterfuck of issues with you dear sister, good riddance!"

"FUCK YOU DAVID"

"THIS IS IT ALEXIS; YOU WILL NOT CURSE AT ME IN MY HOUSE"

and then all hell broke loose.

"DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO" Alexis screamed at the top of her lungs. Her eyes looked for something, and David already knew this move and dived for the glass of water, Alexis got to it first and looked at David right to the eyes and slammed the glass of water to the floor with all the force she could muster. Shards of glass flew across the room in the eruption.

There was absolute silence in room and the only sound they could heard was Alexis raged breathing, which was becoming even more rapid.

David then understood that his sister was about to start crying and maybe this got out of control, two fools are needed to cause a scene; he should've had the sense to stop the fight.

"Alexis, I'm…"

"Stop David, I'm not fragile, I'm fine"

Patrick the interjected.

"I know you are going through a lot right now Alexis and I'm here for you, but you must understand that we don't break our stuff, even when we are angry because someone eat the last Oreo in the sleeve"

" I stand by my anger, thank you very much"

Alexis saw her brother embrace his husband by the waist and both were looking at her, with opened faces, with concerned faces.

This was too much, too much.

Alexis face felt warm and her skin was pulsating, she needed to run and run and run.

Alexis stood from the bed and started fast walking to the bathroom, she got in and slammed the door and started to scream.

On the other side of the door was a very confused Patrick and very confident David.

"This happens baby, don't worry. We just need to leave her be and like give her a few minutes or hours or days to pull herself together" David acknowledged while trying to pick up the glass around the room. He knew his husband was going to have THE conversation with her.

THE conversation

* * *

_David and Patrick were entangled with each other in the bed in Patrick's apartment._

_"David, I understand that whatever happened here was my fault, but I need you to understand that we are not going to be that couple"_

_"On and off?"_

_“No David, the type of couple who are passive aggressive to the point of being emotionally violent towards each other, I need you to know that we can, and have to actually, comunicate; if we have an issue, we need to be able to communicate with each other. I love you David but I will never be a source of anxiety in your life"_

_After a much larger conversation, the ground for a healthy relationship was built._

* * *

Alexis kept crying noisily in the looked bathroom. Willing her brother and his husband to leave her be. 

Patrick sat with his back to the bathroom door.

"Alexis, I understand you are going through a lot right now but we don't break things or throw sharp things at each other in this house and while you live with us I need to know that you will abide by this rule." Patrick said in a calm voice, loud enough to cross through the door. He knew it did because David and Patrick have had enough conversations through that door. 

"I respect your need for privacy, but you need to respect the fact that we have boundaries; you and David can rip each other's throats of that makes you happy, but if you are doing this just to get a rise out of the other or, God forbid, to hurt each other; that’s a no Alexis" 

David sat down in front of Patrick and stretched his arm to hold his hand. 

"I'm sorry Alexis. I was over the line. I owe you an apology" David said "I know you're going through a difficult thing, but this is me trying to tell you that we're no longer emotionally stunted adults. I don't need to hurt you to help you. I'm sorry"

Alexis crying could still be heard, David and Patrick had a whispered conversation about the situation and decided to let Alexis mull over this one-sided conversation and lick her wounds. Let her come down whenever she feels ready, Patrick said to David. 

"Alexis, we're going down to make dinner. I hope you can join us if you can't that cool" Patrick acknowledged. 

Inside the bathroom Alexis was thinking, what the fuck just happened. 

If this had happened twelve years ago, David would have baited her and kept the conversation going back and forth until one or the other called truce. This was the only way they had dealt with emotions back then. 

Even after they lost the money, they couldn't communicate that well; maybe the button was onto something. 

Alexis let herself cry for the right reason for the first time in months. Before, she would have bouts of crying at the weirdest moments and attribute it to the stress of work or being away from her family. Perhaps now she could start to grieve everything that happened. 

Like …

Yes, something happened, something that was fucked up, but in the moment Alexis didn't have space, emotionally speaking, to process it. 

Now.

She has all the space.

Fuuuuuuuck 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it my friends. Happy holidays, I hope you're having a wonderful time whether it be by yourself or with family. Be safe :)


	7. I Will Always Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stevie arrives, there’s blood, juice and love going around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo sorry for the delay, D:  
> I am a translator, and I had a hugeeee proyect and whatever. I Hope you like it. I wrote this in the span of like soooo many days so meehhh. What are you reading? I just read “Boyfriend Material” by Alexis Hall and some poetry by Alejandra Pisarnik. For the last part of the chapter, Alexis and David’s conversation, I kept Adele’s “lovesong” on a never-ending loop.
> 
> Trigger Warning.  
> At some point in the chapter, we approach the theme of disordered eating and eating disorders, I will mark it with (*).  
> A nosebleed, under a normal circumstance. Hormones.

Chapter 7

t is a little-known fact that both Rose siblings have shitty eyesight. Alexis wears contacts because the idea of getting laser surgery is just bonkers and David’s glasses were the best kept secret and an indoor only type of situation, for the outside world they have 20/20 eyesight.

After the whole breakdown situation, Alexis contacts were busted, and all her backups were in New York; thank God she had the mind to bring her glasses with her.

Alexis searched into her backpack and for a moment thinks back to herself back on her twenties, she would have rather be seen naked than with a backpack. life has gone too far.

Alexis puts her glasses on and looks at herself in the bathroom and she does not recognize herself. She decided to go down and eat dinner. The little lemon is not at fault, they need to eat, that much is true.

(*)

Food has always been a tough discussion in the Rose household; when Alexis was a child everyone kept complimenting her mother on her beautiful daughter, unconsciously she learned that her appearance was the only asset she brought to the table, apparently. Her first restrictive diet happened when she was 13 and she never looked back, there were few things in her life that she could control; food was at the top of that list.

Even when they arrived to Schitt’s creek, she felt so out of control that for months she refused to eat and punished herself, not killing herself with hunger but starving just quite enough to feel powerful.

Her battle with herself is an ongoing process, constantly changing. Perhaps at this point in life it was not a point of tension, but it is there palpitating away.

Alexis knows she needs to put the lemon first even if that means that she will not be able to participate in one of the most self-soothing processes she has.

Whatever.

(*)

First, she must figure out how she is going to show face to dinner; she is confident in the fact that if she really needed Patrick and David to look pass this, they would. But that would not be fair to them. Patrick told her about the rules for a reason, and maybe acknowledging them would be a good start.

* * *

Patrick and David were busy trying to get dinner rolling. To almost everyone’s surprise David Rose is an exceptionally good cook, when he had money he would constantly splurge on weird ingredients and cook to his heart’s content; whenever his love life turned for the worst, like it usually did, he would cook and bake his heartbreak away. After they lost the money, one of the worst consequences was losing his kitchen; when David realized Patrick had a kitchen to his disposal at Ray's his heart soared, their third date consisted of a delicious meal cooked with Heather's cheese and local sourced meat.

It was wonderful.

But also, a surprise.

Patrick was pleasantly surprised with David’s abilities in the kitchen and David adored the attention. Now that they live alone and own their home, dinner is always a treat for both because both adore to eat. Simple as that. Sometimes dinner is a comfort, sometimes it is an unspoken apology, sometimes it is a craving.

Tonight’s dinner is a peace offering, hence the pizza and Alexis favorite goat cheese salad.

Patrick and David hear Alexis room door open and hold their breath until they hear her footsteps in the hallway, David takes a deep breath and hugs Patrick.

They got this.

Alexis goes down the stairs; David and Patrick listen to her footsteps with attentive ears, quiet as hunters waiting for their prey.

Alexis stands in in the doorway as if waiting for permission to enter the room, as if she were seeking absolution for her sins committed in the afternoon. Her face is swollen, that much is obvious, but she also knows she needs to be absolved for some reason.

“Alexis come in, we just called for the pizza” Patrick said while moving in the kitchen, avoiding her. “Stevie is coming here, just a heads up, she is staying with us for a few days” Patrick lied with a straight face and reaching for his neck. Whenever Patrick lied, he would touch the right side of his neck almost like scratching it.

Just on time, the doorbell rang.

“Stevie is here” David yelled, and making it obvious he was going to be the one opening the door and rushing to it.

David opened the door and threw himself onto Stevie and hugged her hard.

“Hold on tiger your husband is inside” Stevie said to his shoulder where her face was crushed.

“Prepare yourself her face looks awful” David whispered to her ear.

“Welcome home” David said in a normal voice “Let me take your shit upstairs, you don’t mind sharing with my lovely husband and me, right?”

“You know I am always open for a threesome” Stevie joked with a straight face.

Stevie walked inside the house and went straight to the kitchen where she supposed Patrick and Alexis were; she was aware that maybe Alexis looked bad, but her face looked like it belonged to someone else. The woman standing in the doorway of the kitchen was a stranger, a doppelganger using Alexis body, her eyes were different, her posture was the posture of someone who went to war and lost.

“Hi Alexis, did you do something to your hair? You look different” Stevie wondered entering the kitchen and hugging Patrick harder than it was needed, probably.

“Hello Stevie, hi; Yes, I dyed it thank you for noticing it” Alexis answered a little tense, she hasn’t done anything to it but she knows it looks darker. Her hair is going back to her natural color, a dark muddy blond almost brown; Alexis knows Stevie is trying to make this heavy situation a little lighter.

Ugh

“I knew you did something” Stevie winked at her.

Stevie went and stood in front of her.

Even if Alexis was taller, she felt like she was watching Stevie all the way up.

“You don’t have to tell me what happened, I just want you to know I’m here for you; it takes guts to do what you did” Stevie said to Alexis with all the sincerity she could muster.

“Put up with an awful man?” Alexis mumbled.

Patrick inhaled sharply when he felt David hand in his elbow, holding on. The conversation was so dense that neither of them felt David come in the kitchen.

“No, Alexis” Stevie corrected her gently looking right at Alexis “Leaving; leaving is always the hardest part”

And for the first time since Alexis left New York she admitted to other people the truth.

“Yeah, it was the hardest thing I have done in my life because even here surrounded by the people I love the most, I am questioning my decision, even all bruised up I am still wondering if I am fucking it up for the lemon”

Stevie mouthed the word “lemon” to David, he shook his head and made a gesture to let her know they would talk about it later.

“Well,” Stevie said opening the fridge and pulling four apple juice boxes out it “Let us toast to good decisions in poor times, because that’s what you did Alexis you made the best decision you could make in the place that fucker put you in.”

Stevie handed out the juices.

"Here's to good decisions in bad times."

Alexis would have preferred vodka, but at least it was her favorite brand, that meant that while they were getting her prescription, David remembered this trivial fact about her and her comfort and well she is hormonal and life has been a little bit shit lately.

So, she does the worst most awful thing, she starts sobbing and blubbering.

“I know this is a lot, like I know, and I have this feeling in the deepest part of my stomach that he is going to come looking for me and I am afraid of him, like what if he tries to punch you guys, what if he tries to take the lemon away. I am sorry this is supposed to be a funny toast and even this I end up screwing up” Alexis sobbed. “I am afraid of him and he would not let me buy this brand of juice because he said it was way too expensive, I can’t have my lemon drinking horrible apple juice.”

The world seemed to be closing in on her and she felt like she couldn’t breathe, her hands traveled to her face and fingers started fluttering above her eyebrows, trying to calm herself.

“Alexis… Alexis… ALEXIS” David was in front of her with a concerned face on.

“David, I feel weird” Alexis said.

“Weird how?” Patrick jumped in

Before Alexis could answer she felt like something warm was traveling to her upper lip.

“Her nose is bleeding” Stevie murmured.

“What?”

“We have to go the hospital again” David was already moving towards the door.

“No, I refuse please; I don’t want to go.”

“Alexis you are literally leaking from your nose in my kitchen” David snaped.

“I am not going” Alexis stood her ground, sitting down in a chair.

“Alright how about we call the nurse we met today and ask her advice?” Patrick proposed.

Patrick called nurse Julia and waited with a battered breath, watching Alexis tilt her head backwards to stop the bleeding, David and Stevie were by her side and looking stressed.

“Hello, who is this?”

“Hi, Its Patrick and David, Alexis Brothers. I don’t know if you remember us? From earlier today?”

Alexis felt her heart fill to the brim with love for Patrick, that man who without needing anyone to tell her he called himself her brother.

“Yes, I remember you, one cannot forget that type of commotion!” She answered laughing “Is everything alright, are you back at the hospital?”

“Well, we have a situation, and we are hesitant, we don't know if we have to go to the hospital or wait here.”

“What type of situation?”

“Alexis told us she felt weird and nose started bleeding, should we go to the hospital?"

"Ok, can you put her on the phone? I would like to talk to her."

Patrick handed the phone to Alexis

"Mmm… hi?"

"Hello Alexis, talk to me, what happened?"

"My nose is bleeding, and like I already told them I do not want to go to the hospital."

"Alright, are you dizzy? I can tell your speech is fine, nosebleeds are more common in pregnancies than people know."

"I am not dizzy; my head is pounding but I cried like a lot."

Julia could tell that Alexis was at the end of her rope and needed to have agency in her life.

"Ok, this is what we are going to do: you do not need to go the hospital right now, but if the headache gets worse you have to get you little butt over there, do we have an agreement?"

"Yes, yes, thank you so much Juls, you are and angel on earth”.

"Yeah, I know; let me talk to Patrick"

Alexis returns the phone to Patrick conversation and throws her head back; Julia giving Patrick advice and whatnot.

“Mmmm ok, we have to do it like that, I think she is doing the opposite” Patrick said holding the phone with his shoulder and making motions to Alexis to come closer, after she sat down in the chair next to him, he handed her a napkin.

“Alexis you need to sit upright and lean forward, gently blow your nose; yes, just like that, pinch your nose. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch your nostrils shut. Breathe through your mouth. Continue to pinch for 10 to 15 minutes; right Julia?”

“Yes, that’s it; just be mindful of her, she is going through a lot right now. If the bleeding continues after this or happens again you need to get her to the hospital”

“Yes, thank you; you are a lifesaver.”

“I know boy, call me tomorrow to let me know how she is doing.”

“Will do, goodnight.”

“Goodnight”

Patrick ended the call and looked at David and Stevie. Both looked a little frayed around the edges and frankly quite done with everything.

Everyone waited with their eyes on Alexis, who had her head tilted forward and was blowing her nose gently ever so often.

“I think it stopped” Alexis murmured through the napkin. She pulled her hand away from her face.

It looked like it had indeed, stopped.

A silence surrounded them until Stevie spoke.

“Well… this was awful, let's never do this again” Stevie said with a straight face.

Something about this whole situation clicked to Alexis and she started laughing; David, Patrick and Stevie joined her, and they laughed until their belly hurt.

Lucky for them the pizza arrived, and the heavy part of the night seemed to have winded down, Alexis helped getting the dishes out, while Stevie poured more apple juice into wine glasses.

* * *

Nighttime could not come early enough for everyone after Stevie arrived, everyone was tired to the bone and honestly life had been kind of shit. They needed sleep desperately.

Stevie sleeping with them, in the bed, was not that unusual; usually after a night of partying they would both end up snuggling with Patrick in bed, the three of them part of a whole. Patrick accepted when he married David the fact that he was also marrying his family, the Roses, and more importantly he was marrying Stevie, because Stevie's presence in David's life is, was and will always be an irrevocable condition. What surprised him was the fact that Stevie became part of his life as well and the bond was different but just as deep.

So, the cuddling scene was usually like this: Patrick in the middle, David, and Stevie on each side because Patrick was the best cuddler in the whole house.

Tonight, David was wide awake, a rarity for him; usually whenever his head hits a pillow, he is out, no questions asked. He feels Patrick chest go up and down with his breathing and attempts to mimic it to no use.

David decides to read a book and remembers he left the one he’s currently reading in the Livingroom, he gently gets out of bed and on his way out takes a moment to observe the loves of his life, both breathing easy and deep.

What a life, right.

On the way back David takes a detour and stops outside of Alexis room and ponders on opening it.

He does and sees his sister sleeping, holding a pillow to her chest making noises. David has a sense of deja vu, and remembers he was in the same spot, kind of, when they arrived to Schitt’s Creek. Alexis was deep asleep, in the same exact position and crying.

Alexis is one of the most closed and secretive people he knows. She would rather die than let the world see her weaknesses, well that is when she is awake, whenever she is asleep… that’s a whole new story. That was the reason she refused to share a bedroom until she had to when they moved to Schitt’s Creek, she basically talks, cries and sometimes walks in her sleep.

The whole time they shared the room, he was subjected to her sleep talking, walking, and sometimes crying.

Actually, the crying only happened one time, the first night the slept in the motel. David had an idea of the situation; Alexis used to sleep with him when they were children, and she was afraid of the dark. But they hadn’t slept in the same room for at least fifteen years.

The first night they slept in the motel David got up in the middle of night to go to the bathroom and when he got back, he heard her, she was crying in her sleep and mumbling nonsense. He decided not to wake her up; he went to bed with her mumbles and cries.

Tonight, the decision was different.

David walked into the bedroom and sat on the floor next to the bed and shook her shoulder gently.

“Alexis”

“Mmmm, no let go please.” Alexis moaned.

“Alexis, wake up, it’s me David” he said gently.

Alexis woke up disoriented, looked at David and remembered the awful day she had.

“I was talking in my sleep again?” Alexis asked him, knowing well she was crying in her sleep if the tear tracks weren’t clue enough.

“More like crying”

“Yeah”

Perhaps the next thing David said measured the long way they had come from their early days in Schitt’s Creek.

“Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?”

Alexis didn’t have any more pride to lose.

“Yes, please”

David got up, dusted his butt, and sat down on the bed. At first his legs were hanging from the bed, but as they tried to fill the awkward silence with small talk, both of them started to relax until David pulled his legs up and Alexis sat in the bed hugging her legs to her chest.

Against his better judgment David asked Alexis what he had been dying to know the whole day.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just couldn’t, every time you called, I swore to myself I would tell you some of it, not all if of course, but some; I just felt like I would disappoint you and mom and dad and Patrick and Stevie if I told you I needed saving once again.”

“Like I do not want to sound like I love you, but there there’s almost nothing you could do that would genuinely disappoint me; like I will totally laugh at you or whatever. But I will never think less of you for something like in this case you have no control over.”

Alexis felt the lump in her throat grow and almost swallow her.

“I just couldn’t, and like it didn’t even matter because you had to come and save me anyway.”

“Repeat this to anyone and I will deny it but, there is no place in this earth that I wouldn’t storm into to save you Alexis, I have literally stormed into palaces for you; even if your sense of love feels wonky, I need you to know that our love for you, and the lemon, is never ending and everlasting, even if you are the worst sister ever.” David joked at the end. Even if it was out of character for him to profess his love for his family, he understood his sister needed some reassurance. Alexis started crying, like a dam was broken, startling David because he thought his joke had landed well.

“You are not the worst sister, calm down.”

He hugged her shoulders with one arm and patted them.

“I don’t know why I am crying asshole, I think this is the first time someone told the lemon they loved them aside from me and even myself I only had the courage to tell them like three times. I am the worst mother ever.”

“Calm down Alexis, you are not the worst mom; you moved your whole life from one country to another to keep them away from harm. If I am honest with you, I feel love for them because I love you and because you love them. If you felt any different, I wouldn’t give a damm about the ball of cells.”

Alexis put her head in the shoulder of his brother and took a big breath.

“And I love you for that, because 30-year-old David would not have felt like this.”

“That David didn’t know and love Patrick or Stevie, or you for that matter; Love is an art form that needs practice and vulnerability; you need to let yourself be loved. I learned from you people. I didn’t stand a chance.”

“That you didn’t.” Alexis smiled “I love you, thank you for always saving me, even when I didn’t know I needed saving.”

The silence stretched on them and before they knew it, they were asleep.

Alexis embracing David.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it for this chapter, I hope you liked it. I hope you are well, healthy, and happy; be safe. Happy first day of the second month of this endless loop we are calling 2021.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it. Constructive criticism is always welcome just remember to be respectful with me and with others.


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